Rep. Callahan Delivers Keynote Address at PLTI State Government Session

Danbury—State Representative Patrick Callahan (R-108) attended the State Government Session of the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) on Thursday night at Families Network of Western CT. The program was facilitated by former Danbury State Representative Rachel Chaleski, a PLTI graduate. Callahan was the guest speaker and explained the structure of state government, how the public can access it and how an idea becomes a policy or law.

Callahan shared with the participants about how he got into politics, noting that he too started as an advocate.

“I was chairman of the Candlewood Lake Authority and going up to Hartford to testify on bills and thought that I’d like to be on the other side of the table in order to help make common sense legislation to better our community. Now you don’t have to appear in person, you can make your voice heard through video testimony, and that has made the General Assembly much more accessible to people from our area,” said Rep. Callahan, Ranking Member of the Environment Committee.

He also shared with them about how a bill goes from an idea to being signed into law.

“I’ll give you an example. My wife, who is a teacher, and I have children. As more time is being spent online many parents have a more difficult time knowing who their kids are interacting with. I introduced a bill to protect kids online from grooming. It made it through the House but didn’t come up for a vote in the Senate. We had to start the process all over the following year, with committee meetings, public hearings, and another vote in the House. It finally made it through both chambers and was signed into law by the Governor,” said Callahan.

When describing how the branches of government interact with one another, Callahan related his experience working within the Judicial branch.

“I was the Chief Probation Officer in Danbury, so I saw the impact of the laws the General Assembly was writing. I’ve taken that background into consideration during my work on the Judiciary Committee. We write the laws, while the courts interpret those laws and apply them to specific cases,” noted Callahan.

Callahan also described constituent services provided by his office.

“When someone calls or emails my office, we can either help directly or reach out to the state or federal agency that could provide assistance. I also keep my constituents informed through weekly email updates and posts on social media about things like DOT construction notices,” said Callahan.

The participants shared with Callahan details about their projects for the PLTI parent advocate program. They range from community gardens to anti-bullying programming.